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Montana 680t charging issue

samogps 3 Points
in Garmin Handheld GPS and Wearable GPS Forum
as a long time user of garmin gps devices I noticed from the very beginning that my Montana acts strange during charging. In addition, the device suddenly stopped to work yesterday on a terrain, however just few minutes before this the indicator showed 45% of battery. next, after charging it over the night with wall charger, the device stopped to be charged at 92%. there is blinking symbol for charging for some seconds and then the symbol disappears for some seconds, and so on. I received a device two weeks ago as a gift. I also noticed that when i use computer and usb cable, there is no battery indicator on the display of my Montana 680t. I have impression that this issue is not a common one, so I assume something is just wrong with my battery? I used the device with three AA batteries for very short time and all was fine. someone? Thanks.

Comments

  • sussamb 792 Points
    If it's working with normal AA batteries but not with the rechargeable one then like you I'd suspect the battery.
  • samogps 3 Points
    thanks. beside a bad battery, in theory it is possible that the device itself does not recognize the battery status in a proper way.
  • Chris_Sav 125 Points
    was the device new? if not is it an original Garmin battery? I have experienced similar with a non original battery.
  • samogps 3 Points
    i took it to the dealer and will have it back in one week or so. report follows.
  • samogps 3 Points
    the device is totally new. it is original garmin battery which came with the device. they promised to me that they will fix the device (battery) without any doubt so i do not have to worry. let's say i believe them but so many times i was disappointed in similar situations with another devices. the device was a Christmas gift and it was picked just because it should be the best.
  • Chris_Sav 125 Points
    Thanks for the update, you have taken the correct course of action in returning the device as it's new.

    Montana is as good as it gets in current models in my view, 276CX should be better but performance seems to remain problematical from reports.
  • samogps 3 Points
    Hi, I received replacement device for my Montana 680t. nobody explained me what was wrong with old one. So far so good ... however in first charging I reached 99% "only". It seems than Montana can be charged up to 100% only in dreams. Future will show if I own another lemon.
  • sussamb 792 Points
    Mine reaches 100 ... But then it's a 650.
  • samogps 3 Points
    what is charging time in your case? i did not measure it but i have impression that it is ca 6 hours or even more, and from 80 to 100 (99)% it goes slower than from 0 to 80%. is this normal?
  • samogps 3 Points
    update: after second charging "the new unit" reached only 91% again. i think they gave me same unit back with some modifications, new serial number, etc. They even did not provide me support to use my newly purchased City navigator maps on replacement unit so i was forced to spend two hours on chat with Garmin USA where they transferred my old account into new account. In addition, when I turned the device on for the first time it asked me if i want to load some files related to geocaching and it always shut down when i selected YES. So I was forced to select NO in order to use the device. Ok, maybe my heart is not in pain because of this, but common, it should work, is that right? Thank you Garmin Slovenia, i think we will demand money back and i do not want to hear for Montana 680t anymore.
  • samogps 3 Points
    Ok, i have returned the unit. Nobody explained me what is going on - so why both my devices (original and replacement) exhibited same fault. I must admit that I liked Montana 680t but now I am afraid that any one, even if purchased on Amazon.de or co.uk will behave in same way. Is there anybody who has Montana 680t who can comment this? I am afraid that Slovenian market is so special in a bad way that every Montana sold here has certain defects. It sounds like conspiracy but only for instance in area of washing detergents it is so: all detergents meant for ex- eastern europe are significantly worse in comparison to detergents made for western europe (e.g., Persil). it is a fact proved by market inspection and not my guessing.
  • truckinguy 115 Points
    Your on the wrong path samogps... there is nothing wrong with those units. It takes time to get the battery to charge full percentage and many cycles. And the meter isn't a F-35 meter. Use the Montana and enjoy it. For long battery uses change the settings in the menu. I get all day out of both my Montana 680's.. they are the best most popular unit out there. If you don't keep one your the one loosing out.
  • samogps 3 Points
    edited March 2018
    my montana died when battery meter showed 40%, truckinguy. I am happy that I have returned it. no problems with 64s. The second montana behaved strangely too. I have returned it. Next, etrex touch 35 was like a nightmare so i have returned it too. I believe that many people are happy with montana and etrex 35 but not me. for instance etrex's MAP icon was non-responsive whatever I did. I believe that many people could tolerate it (excuse me my cynicism) but not me. using the maps on a gps unit is far more important than its design and colors of the housing to me. Ok, battery meter on montana is not from F-35, but it should be at least from Antonov. It is hard to expalin what I feel. Having a device for 600 eur which has troubles to show full battery? This is ridiculous. we are in 21st century, all my cell phones for less than 100 eur did not have troubles with battery meter in this term.
  • truckinguy 115 Points
    edited March 2018
    There is settings in the menu for which type of battery you are using. I hope you set that correctly. Also using the proper charger..
    Good luck with the 64S..nice unit.. but way too small screen for me. The buttons are nice in some ways..but I still can't see overall better then Montana's for my use.. Wife has an Oregon 700 which is nice but too small for me as well.
  • samogps 3 Points
    i did use correct settings. i had troubles with factory battery, i hope you know what i mean. after all at the dealer they did not say that I am wrong, they just took the device back. i am totally happy with 64s because i realized touch screen is not for me. size is also ok. best regards.
  • truckinguy 115 Points
    Ha... just saw Montanas new update from Garmin released this month fixes the battery issue you had.. I never noticed it but it's fixed.
  • samogps 3 Points
    too late. battery issues in year 2018 is unforgivable. such issues were modern at least 30 years ago. I wish a lot of luck to Garmin and their research and development department. they need it.
  • truckinguy 115 Points
    samogps said:

    too late. battery issues in year 2018 is unforgivable. such issues were modern at least 30 years ago. I wish a lot of luck to Garmin and their research and development department. they need it.

    Again.. I use 2 680T's for years now no issues.. all day long on hikes.. I never noticed if the meter was off a bit.. they fixed the issue so what's the big deal.. a very complicated gps.. I've had them since 1996.. far far far better then the first units.. Gamin doesn't need anything from my end.

  • Chris_Sav 125 Points
    barely been out two years!

    The battery indicator still never shows 100% on mine, though it does not cause a problem, just an itch as to whether it's going to pack in, always carry spare AA's now.
  • truckinguy 115 Points
    I never really saw it wasn't reading full.. maybe I didn't look too close or care too.. I know from experience with it it lasts all day.. 10 hrs at least hiking..and still has lot's left to use.. this is with the Garmin supplied rechargeable.. I know for a fact the Black Panasonic batteries last longer.
    My wife has a Oregon 700 which I don't like.. just doesn't work as good as the Montana..odd gps.. got some wireless stuff,etc. who cares..
    What get's my goat is people who complain big time about Garmins lack of this or that.. Like I said.. I've been with them since 1998 (had a commerical marine Northstar 1996) and they've come a long way baby.. hat's off to them. And they are still moving along.. can't wait for the next version of "montana"
  • samogps 3 Points
    the replacement unit for my Montana behaved similarly to 268 PC from middle 90s. So in several tries it did not load some files with geocaches. I was forced to cancel it after several unsuccessful tries. The new 64s showed its real nature several days ago when it did not boot up in several tries. After three or four tries I was able to start to use it. So in my opinion Garmin products are below every critics according to my experiences. It is just a reflection of situation which rules the world: "cheap" products for masses.
  • truckinguy 115 Points
    Still don't agree at all with you. you are doing something wrong.. either with your charging or the way you use it. You can be corrupting the software.. and again.. I don't agree they are cheap at all. Pretty rugged actually and flawless in operation for the most part. At least these that have been out for a while with the fixes. The 64S has been a top seller in the Geocache world as the Montana has.
    You have a gripe against Garmin for some reason.. They are far the best in GPS world.. Even the Automotive units have come a very long way since my first 2610.. I would never go back to that.
    You should buy a Magellan and have a go.
  • samogps 3 Points
    ah no. i will live with garmin. i just do not like it but i need it. it is a hopeless debate; what should i do if it does not turn on after depressing ON button after several minutes? my previous units did not have such problems.
  • sussamb 792 Points
    Are you depressing it and holding it on? Try releasing it after a few seconds. I've never had an issue with a Garmin taking that long to turn on.
  • Boyd 1969 Points
    Pressing and holding continuously will force a shutdown if the device has frozen/crashed. IIRC, it won't ever turn on when you do that.
  • samogps 3 Points
    I normally turned it on and it has frozen. i used short depress on the ON/OFF button. nothing else. i think it is not related to anything but low quality of my particular unit (fourth one in the row). just hopeless.
  • truckinguy 115 Points
    Back to map and compass I guess... I'll sell you my ...Montana 680T works flawless. Only a few months old... $500 ..so I can buy a new one..
  • samogps 3 Points
    i mainly use my gps unit for navigating in the cities or on roads so maps are useless for me :).
  • Boyd 1969 Points
    Why is a map useless in a city?

    But really, this is just beating a dead horse. @samogps has a GPSMap64 now and is happy with his choice. I wouldn't be happy with one, but I'm not him. ;)
  • samogps 3 Points
    by map i mean paper map. Am I happy with 64s? i am a little bit scared of it because it did not behave properly all the time in this short period.
  • Boyd 1969 Points
    Well I spent the first 50 years of my life finding my way around cities with a paper map. Maybe it's time for you to learn this skill (since it seems like you aren't going to be happy with any gps). :))
  • samogps 3 Points
    :).
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